1. Field of the Disclosure
All modern aircraft are provided with power systems that need to be connected to an airframe. The connection between the power system and the airframe needs to be such that the power system can be carried by the airframe, and the thrust generated by the power system can be transferred to the airframe.
2. Description of the Related Art
The thrust generated by modern gas turbine engines, such as turbofan engines, can be extremely high, for example up to and even in excess of 100,000 lbs. Accordingly, the mounting arrangements that are required to attach the gas turbine engines to the airframes are necessarily strong enough to transfer such high loads, meaning that they contribute significantly to the weight of the gas turbine engine installation, and thus to the overall weight of the aircraft.
Furthermore, it is essential that the mounting arrangements operate reliably, and that they are provided with so called failsafe systems that ensure continued safe operation in the event that a part of the mounting arrangement fails or breaks. One such failsafe arrangement is a failsafe pin that only engages in the event of a failure of a primary fixing mechanism in the mounting arrangement.
It is necessary to be able to test whether or not the failsafe pin has been engaged so as to be able to determine whether there has been a failure of part of the primary fixing mechanism. Such a failure of part of a primary fixing mechanism may not be detected through visual inspection alone.
There is a danger that in the process of performing the necessary engagement test on the failsafe pin, the pin itself may be compromised, for example through unintentional partial disassembly or loosening of its components.